Drag Me To Hell
by Lord Siravant
Summary: Tails has a new mask. One with a certain penchant for destroying worlds. Can Sonic and his friends save Tails before the power of the mask consumes him and all of Mobius? R/R, I accept anonymous! Maybe SonAmy, TailsCream if I feel like it.
1. Discovery

**Dammit, Siravant. Stop posting more and more stories before your other ones are finished, you idiot. And amount of homework done so far: zilch. Inspiration's a douche.**

**Chapter One: Discovery**

Tails didn't exactly know why he had felt compelled to start digging around the ruins he had just found today. It felt as though something had drawn him here, something that needed to be found. For some reason, he had been drawn to a specific spot in the ground. Tails couldn't help but think for a moment how strange this was, but immediately dismissed it as his intuition as his shovel suddenly banged against a hard wooden surface.

Tails let out an exclamation of surprise as he jumped into the hole he created to loosen the dirt around what he had just found. _Strange, _Tails thought to himself as he cleared away the dirt from the treasure chest. _It's almost as if I knew exactly where to dig, even though I've never been here before!_

Using his twin tails to propel himself out of the hole with the chest in his hands, Tails dropped it on the ground and tried to open it. Predictably, it was locked. No matter. Tails was always prepared for this sort of thing. He removed a lockpick from behind his ear and began fiddling with the chest's lock. After a few minutes, Tails heard a satisfying click as the chest popped open, freeing a layer of dust that had collected around the edges.

Tails excitedly lifted the lid and peered inside to see what he had found. It was a mask. It was heart-shaped, mostly purple and red but with various colorful tribal markings all over it. Two green spikes jutted out from the top, while four more ran along each side. A pair of large, fiery-orange eyes with green irises stared back at Tails.

"A mask?" Tails wondered aloud as he reached in and gingerly picked up the mask.

It seemed to be made of metal, not wood, and yet it was extremely light. The moment Tails touched it, he felt a jolt of energy surge up his arm, making him drop it in surprise with a yelp. Tails stared at the strange mask, rubbing his tingling arm. "Okay, that was weird," he whispered to himself.

He warily picked the mask back up, expecting another jolt, but none came. Relieved, Tails began inspecting his newest discovery in more detail. It seemed to be in pristine condition; not a scratch on it. The eyes looked unnervingly realistic, capable of burning into a Mobian's soul. Tails shoved his trepidation aside with a fervent shake of his head. "Aw, it's just a mask," he said. "Nothing more. Maybe I should try it on and see what I look like."

He didn't see any strings on the mask but put it on his face anyway. Surprisingly, the mask fit snugly on his face. Tails fished a mirror out of his backpack and gazed at himself. He had to admit, scary as the mask looked, he looked rather ridiculous wearing it.

"_Boo_."

Tails jumped in alarm at the unexpected voice, dropping the mirror, which miraculously didn't shatter once it hit the floor. "W-Who's there?" Tails nervously demanded.

"_Nobody here but us rock pillars_," the voice answered sarcastically.

"I'm not stupid, whoever you are," Tails retorted, glancing around. "Rocks don't talk."

"_Maybe not_," the voice replied. "_But there's _something _in here that does. I wonder what it might be_…"

Tails gritted his teeth. This disembodied voice was mocking him. "Alright, show yourself!" Tails demanded.

"_You're not as smart as you think you are. If you were, you'd notice that you didn't hear my voice until you put me on_."

"Put me…?" Tails trailed off, finally understanding. "Wait, the _mask_ is talking to me?"

"_Bingo. You get a gold star_."

"This is too weird," Tails murmured. "A talking mask. Now I really _have_ seen it all."

"_I bet you're also wondering how it seemed you knew exactly where to find me_."

"…A little bit."

"_When I sensed your presence entering these ancient ruins, I used what little power I had outside of my prison to draw you to my resting place. A little game of hide and seek, if you will. It's been a long time since I've played a game_."

"You like games?" Tails asked, curious.

"_Immensely_."

"Why were you buried here?"

"_I don't know. Some people just don't like playing with me_."

"I bet you were pretty lonely, weren't you?"

"_Thousands of years in complete and total darkness. Alone. Friendless. Nobody knew. Nobody cared. You know what that's like, don't you?"_

Tails blinked in surprise as he realized the mask was referring to his life before he had met Sonic, when he was an orphan living out in Green Hill. "How did you know?"

"_I can see your memories, Miles Prower. Funny name, by the way. Miles per hour, heh heh._"

Tails laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I know. I just prefer to be called Tails, though."

"_A fox with two tails. Curious. Are you perhaps aware of a creature called a Keaton_?"

"Keaton? No."

"_A fox with many tails. Yes, I can see it now. You carry the blood of a Keaton. But it has thinned out over the millenniums, hence why you only have two tails when the creatures of legend had three."_

"I see. Well, I think I'll take you with me. I've got lots of friends you should meet! I think you'll settle right in! I wanna learn more about you while I'm at it, uh..."

"_Call me Majora_."

"Majora? You kinda got a funny name yourself!" Tails laughed. "You know, you've missed out on a lotta stuff, being stuck inside that box. Oh boy, have I got stories for you!"

"_I always like a good story._"

"Well…"

And Tails spent the whole trek back to his house telling Majora all about Mobius and his adventures with his friend Sonic the Hedgehog. The mask listened on in silence, taking in all the new knowledge about the world. One thing became quite clear to the mask: Hyrule was gone. The Triforce was gone. The Golden Goddesses were gone.

If the mask could smile, it would have made even Shadow shiver in fright.

It was late afternoon when Tails reached the house he and Sonic shared, and he was still talking to the mask. Sonic was outside in the front lawn, cooking hot dogs on the grill. He was dressed in a comically-large white chef's apron splotched with grease that was boldly adorned with the phrase "Kiss the Cook."

Hearing Tails's voice, Sonic looked over towards him. "Hey, Tails!" he called out, waving. "Hey, what's that on your face?"

"Oh, Sonic!" Tails cried, using his tails to quickly propel himself over to his waiting big brother. "I found this in some old ruins today!"

"A mask?" Sonic asked. Although he wouldn't admit it, the mask's eyes were so real-looking they freaked him out a little bit. "Looks kind of tacky, don't you think?"

"_Tacky_?" Majora repeated in Tails's head, slightly offended.

"I think it's pretty cool," Tails answered, taking it off. "It was buried in the ruins, and I dug it up. Guess what? It can talk too! But I think I can only hear it talking if I'm wearing it. Its name's Majora."

"A talking mask, huh?" Sonic said, raising an eyebrow.

His first instinct was to just blow it off as an overactive imagination, but Tails never really had that to begin with. Then again, there was that one time he went on an adventure with a talking sword, so a talking mask wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities for him anymore. "Well, anyways, you think you could help me out? Could you go inside and take the chili off the stove?"

"Chili dogs for dinner, huh?" Tails quipped with a smug grin. "Why am I not surprised?"

Chuckling, Tails went inside and took the chili off the stove as Sonic had asked before heading down into his workshop in the basement with the mask. "Let me show you around my workshop!" Tails said excitedly, putting the mask back on so he could communicate with it.

"_An interesting assortment of machines you have here,_" Majora complimented.

"You should see Eggman's," Tails laughed. "Oh boy, he has made some of the weirdest machines to try and get rid of us!"

"_Ten years of failed plots and wasted resources_," Majora stated. "_Gotta give the man credit for stubbornness_."

"You'd think after all this time he would've learned his lesson and quit trying to take over the world."

"_Oh, so he's one of _those_. Taking over the world, where's the fun in that? All that paperwork_…"

"I know, right?"

"_Perhaps I could be of use_."

"No offense, but…you're a mask. What can you do?"

"_You'd be surprised. Perhaps you recall the jolt of energy you felt when you first picked me up_?"

"Yeah?"

"_What if I told you there's more where that came from_?"

"Hey, Tails! Dinner's ready!" came Sonic's voice from upstairs.

"Oh!" Tails started, taking off the mask. "Sorry, I gotta got eat dinner. I'll be back in a bit."

Placing Majora's Mask on his workbench, Tails ran up the stairs to join his big brother for dinner, leaving the mask to contemplate its situation. Majora did not sense any lingering regrets in the young fox's mind. Manipulating his mind was going to be more complicated than usual. That made him even happier. He always liked a challenge. And on top of that, his sisters and brother were long gone, the people having long since forgotten about them. Without worship, they were sure to have faded. But _he_ remained. In an ironic twist of fate, the very thing that was meant to keep the God of Evil under eternal lock and key was what allowed him to survive his brethren's fitting demise.

There was nobody left to intrude on his fun. Majora would rise again, using the Keaton descendent as his new pawn. And this time, no one would stop him.

Tails returned to the workshop about half an hour later, eager to resume his conversation with Majora. He wasn't surprised; the fox had inherited his ancestors' thirst for knowledge, and Majora had baited him. His passion for learning was something the mask could work with. It was time to make the fox play right into his hands. Tails stuck the mask back over his face and couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "So what was that you were saying about helping us out with Eggman?"

"_You may not realize this_," Majora answered with a wicked, unseen glint in the mask's eyes. "_But by wearing me, you have obtained a great power, one that can be used for _anything_. I can teach you how to move mountains, freeze oceans… even awaken the dead_."

Tails listened with rapt attention. "_If you have a goal, I can help you reach it. If you have a problem, I can help you solve it. If you have an enemy…I can help you crush it_."

"How can you do that?" Tails asked.

"_I'll give you an example. See that pile of junk over in that corner by the stairs_?"

"Yeah?" Tails answered, glancing at the junk pile in question.

"_Point at it. Picture that pile in your head_."

"Okay…"

"_Now picture it _exploding."

Almost on reflex, Tails's mind immediately imagined the junk pile going up in smoke. Suddenly he felt energy rush down his arm and out his finger, igniting the pile in a shower of sparks and debris. The explosion caught him by surprise, causing him to stumble back in surprise at where the pile used to be.

"Whoa…" he gasped in awe.

"Tails! You alright, buddy?" Sonic asked as he burst into the room, eyes wide with worry.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Sonic," Tails answered, straightening up. "I…I think I understand what this mask is."

Satisfied that nobody was in danger, Sonic let his guard down. "Yeah? What is it?"

"It's…a weapon."

"A _weapon_?" Sonic repeated, confused, as Tails removed the mask from his face.

"This mask…it's like a Chaos Emerald, but it's slightly different. Its power output is different from an Emerald's."

This information slightly unnerved the two Mobians. "Well, as interesting as that sounds, if I let you test it, you'll be up all night, and I ain't letting you do that," Sonic said. "Go on and get ready for bed."

"But it's only eight," Tails replied.

"I know, but it's been a while since Eggman showed his face last, and I want everybody to be ready when he does."

Tails sighed as he put the mask back on. "Okay, Sonic."

"_Killjoy_," Majora grunted.

"Hey, that's not nice, Majora!" Tails chided as he headed up the stairs.

Sonic followed him out and turned off the light as he left, glancing at Tails's mask. There was no denying it; something about that mask put Sonic on edge. Tails had a knack for making friends, but Sonic always worried about him making friends with the wrong sort. And something about that mask gave Sonic a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The mask lay on Tails's bed as the young kitsune brushed his teeth and gargled. After he was done, he ventured back into his room and picked up Majora's Mask. "Now, where should I put you so you won't get lost with my other stuff," he mumbled to himself, looking around his room until he saw a spare nail embedded in the wall above his bed. "Ah, here we go!"

Tails flew up to the nail and hung the mask up before settling into his bed for a good night's sleep. "'Night, Majora," Tails bade, shutting his eyes.

Majora's eyes gazed down silently at the sleeping kitsune, contemplating whether he should invade his dreams and give him a nightmare, but decided not to. He needed to win the kitsune's trust before the real fun could begin. But there was someone else who was ripe for a bad dream.

From the moment Majora had heard his name, Majora disliked Sonic the Hedgehog. He may not have been his brother incarnate like the other Heroes of Hyrule, but he had the same determination and kind heart, the kind that made Majora gag. He would be lots of fun. He could make it as nasty as he wanted and the hero would try to dismiss it as just a regular old dream.

"_Time to play_."

6


	2. A Tangled Web Fear Doth Weave

**Oh, lookie here. An extra treat for all my faithful reviewers. I know this is short, but this story is going to be much shorter compared to my other stories anyway, so bear with me.**

**XXXXX000XXXXXX**

**Chapter Two: A Tangled Web Fear Doth Weave**

Sonic shifted his position for the umpteenth time, his sleep fitful and unpleasant. Normally once he had retired to bed, he was out like a light. Such as it normally was for teenagers, even ones who were anthropomorphic animals. But tonight was different.

The blue hedgehog suddenly found himself in the middle of Station Square. What immediately made his heart stop with fear was the state it was in. Everything was on fire. Warning sirens were screaming in the background, mixed with the sounds of distant explosions and gunfire that melded together to form an unholy cacophony of war and death. Bodies of humans and Mobians alike lay strewn about the area, some spread out in awkward positions, others poking out from underneath smoldering rubble. A strong scent of blood and charred flesh hung in the air that made Sonic gag for a moment before he managed to regain his composure. He hadn't seen destruction of this scale since the Black Arms invasion.

The hedgehog looked desperately around, hoping to see some survivors. Much to his dismay, he was the only living thing there. His fear slowly turning to raw, burning anger, Sonic bellowed, "WHO DID THIS?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"About time I found you, hedgehog!" came a familiar, unwelcome voice from behind.

Sonic whipped around to find himself staring down the barrel of a massive minigun wielded by a large mech piloted by none other than Sonic's most persistent nemesis: Doctor Eggman.

With milliseconds to react, Sonic leapt back to avoid the hail of bullets spewing forth from the machine's weapon, darting every which way with skill borne of years and years' worth of experience, every single bullet missing him. Finally Eggman ran out of bullets and discarded the minigun. The mad doctor stared down at Sonic with a maniacal grin that was far too menacing for comfort.

"Like what you see, hedgehog?" Eggman cackled, gesturing towards the destruction. "I finally decided taking over the world wasn't worth it anymore. Too many political dealings, too much paperwork. So I had an epiphany: I'd use my resources to _burn this entire world to the ground_!"

Sonic's eyes widened in horror before he gritted his teeth in fury. "Eggman, you monster! You've gone too far this time! I won't let you get away again! You're! Going! _Down_!"

Sonic rolled into a ball and shot towards Eggman's machine. Before he could get close enough, though, Sonic hit a solid surface that threw him back. "I don't think so, Sonic!" Eggman yelled triumphantly. "I've learned from my previous defeats! You'll never be able to touch me with this built-in energy shield! And I have all the time and ammunition in the world to reduce you to ashes! Burn to cinders, hedgehog!"

A pair of rocket launchers emerged from the mech's shoulders and fired at Sonic. The hedgehog reflexively dodged as he desperately thought about a strategy. If only he knew where his friends were…

"Why don't you just give up, Sonic?" Eggman sneered. "After all, that's what your friends did right before I wiped them off the face of the earth!"

Sonic's blood ran cold. "No…you didn't…" he gasped.

"I did. And you'll get to join them shortly! Farewell, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

The rocket launchers reloaded and fired again. Sonic stood still, overcome by despair as the instruments of his doom approached. Until finally…

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Sonic sped forward, dodging the blasts, and slammed into Eggman's shield with enough force to shatter it completely and knock over the hulking robo-suit. Eggman cried out in surprise as the machine toppled over, an enraged Sonic jumping onto the cockpit window. Before Eggman could blink, Sonic slammed his fist through the glass, breaking it, and clenched his fingers around his throat. His rage removing all other thoughts from his mind, Sonic growled as he slowly choked a terrified Eggman to death.

It took so long for the mad scientist to stop moving. Once Eggman's body went still, Sonic just stared down at his corpse before slowly pulling his hands away from the dead man's windpipe. Sonic looked at his hands, the hands that had just ended a life.

_He had ended a life_.

It wasn't like a robot, which had no sentience, or a monster without a conscience. Sonic had just killed a human being.

Eggman or not, Sonic was a murderer.

The hedgehog collapsed on his behind as he continued to stare at his hands.

Murderer.

Murderer.

_Murderer._

Sonic's hands started shaking.

_MURDERER!_

Unable to contain himself anymore, Sonic started to cry. His tears soon descended into full-blown sobbing as the hedgehog buried his face in his hands, alone with the bodies of his enemy and the people he had saved so many times.

From the cover of a darkened window, a pair of bulbous yellow eyes watched with glee before withdrawing from Sonic's dreamscape. He was about to wake.

XXXXXX

"Sonic! Sonic, wake up! SONIC!"

Sonic suddenly jolted awake, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. As the vision of his horrific nightmare began to fade, Sonic saw his little brother Tails at his bedside, his eyes wide in terror and worry. "Sonic, are you okay?" he asked. "You were yelling and twisting around in your sleep. And then…you started crying. What…what _happened_?"

Sonic shook his head. There was no need for Tails to know about such an awful dream. "It's nuthin', little bro," he said with a forced smile. "Just a bad dream…Man, I need to lay off on the chili dogs."

Tails didn't look particularly convinced, but he didn't want to make Sonic feel any more uncomfortable. "Okay, Sonic," he sighed. "If you say so."

Sonic smiled wearily. "Hey…don't worry about me, little buddy. I'll be fine. You go on and get some sleep. I'm pretty sure Knuckles and the others'll like your mask."

"Oh yeah, that's right! We're all gathering at the park tomorrow for a picnic!" Tails exclaimed. "Thanks, Sonic! Sleep tight."

Tails then went back to his room. Sonic slowly lay back down and turned on his side, closing his eyes.

_Yes…sleep tight, hedgehog,_ an unheard voice hissed.

3


End file.
